I love the thought experiment there... I know it seems very specific but it's probably happened in exactly that way hundreds if not thousands of times.
In the end, we are all human, we all have a stake in this, we all want things to work out... that is key, that is one thing we mustn't forget.
That's no thought experiment. That's a true story. Me and those guys worked on a student film together in Los Angeles. M directed, J produced, I operated the camera (not my forte). I attended both their weddings. :)
then I love the story even more...